The present invention relates to refrigeration systems, and more particularly to a refrigeration system including a low charge hydrocarbon refrigerant circuit.
Refrigeration systems are used to condition merchandisers and other areas that require conditioned air (e.g., storage rooms, etc.) kept within a predetermined temperature range. Some existing systems use refrigerants such as R404a, R134a, or R744. In some instances, a hydrocarbon refrigerant (e.g., propane) is used.
For systems using a hydrocarbon refrigerant, the EPA requires that each refrigeration circuit have no more than 150 grams of hydrocarbon refrigerant to minimize the likelihood that leaked refrigerant will ignite and cause adverse conditions in the area surrounding the merchandiser. To meet this requirement, existing systems using hydrocarbon refrigerant have several (i.e. two or more) hydrocarbon refrigerant loops, each with no more than 150 grams refrigerant charge, that are arranged in parallel with each other to cooperatively condition the area needing to be cooled.